Hello my people. Here it is: Episode four. Strap in, bumpy road ahead. Read and tell me what you think. I love reading your reviews. See you next time.

S2E4: Brothers

Henry stumbles forward, fumbling his punch. Instead of his fist, his weak momentum carries his face to meet the punching post. He remains a moment with his forehead to the fabric, panting. His head feels balloonish, his vision blurs and spins. He might puke. Ghosts whisk around him, their cries just audible. But when he closes his eyes, overwhelmed by the stimulus and his own exhaustion, images of death, darkness and pain assault him. He snaps his eyes open and stumbles back from the punching post.

He tries to regain control, reminding himself he's okay. "Kid?" Ray asks from behind him. Henry jumps so hard, he almost falls to the floor. His breath and heart rate reignite and his forcefield activates.

As his mind slowly catches up, he repeats his attempts to control his physical reactions. "What are you doing up?" he asks Ray between heaving breaths.

"This is the fourth night in a row you've come to box instead of sleep," Ray responds, putting the hand of his non-injured arm on Henry's shoulder. "At least, the fourth I'm aware of; and at least the sixth in the last nine. Why are you up? You need to sleep bro."

Henry shakes his head, dizzying himself. He says, "I'm fine."

Ray frowns at him. "You know, the more you say that the less impact it has. You look half-dead; you look sick." He runs his hand through Henry's hair, stalling over the young man's forehead. "You're pale and freezing. That's not normal, especially when you've been working out. Which is something you shouldn't be doing in the middle of the night."

Henry shrugs weakly. "Nothing else helps."

Ray scoffs, "What does boxing all night help? You to hurt yourself? Turn you into a zombie? It certainly ain't helping you sleep."

"You're the living dead," Henry counters. "And I can't sleep anyway; might as well keep my head clear."

"Yeah? How's that working out for you?" Ray jibes sarcastically. More seriously he chastises, "Whatever you're trying to suppress, it isn't working." Henry pulls away quickly, a creasing frown and folded arms coming to his defense. Ray too frowns. "You know, there are things that can help you sleep."

"I don't want that!" Henry protests.

Ray reaches for Henry again. Henry leaning unconsciously into the hand. "Kid, you can't keep bottling up the nightmares and fear you have. It's killing you. Your hot doctor can give you things, medicine or something, to help you relax and not have nightmares. And maybe you should do as she said and talk to a…"

"No!" Henry tenses. "I don't need therapy."

"You need help," Ray asserts, not letting Henry pull away again. "You won't talk to me about it. Or to Charlotte and Jasper, or anyone else."

"I don't want to talk about it," Henry protests. "I-I can't…"

"We're family, Kid. There's nothing you can't tell me. Nothing we can't get through together. You don't need to hide whatever you're dealing with; or protect me from it. I've got you. I'm sticking with you and there's nothing that will change that." Ray wraps his arm around Henry in a hug. Henry doesn't stop him; though he also doesn't respond. He only slumps some against the elder's shoulder. Ray presses his head against Henry's, his mouth near to Henry's ear, and he says, "C'mon Bro, no more punching tonight."

"I'm not going to bed," Henry resists.

Ray sighs. "I know. I'm not saying that. But, let's go watch a movie or something. At least get you in a calmer way."

"I'm calm."

"Mmhmm, sure," Ray nods placatingly. "So, Dog Judge or Drake and Josh?"

(Theme Song: "It all just kind of happened," Henry says, rubbing his face wearily. "I helped end a killer and now his victims haunt me. Every time I win a battle, I end up with more problems. Whatever happened to happy endings and victory celebrations? My life is seriously nothing but Danger… the music of the theme song over lays his voice. The scene cutting to the credits…)

The sounds of voices through the door into the Man's Nest control room, disturbs Ray's dozing state sometime in the midmorning. The commotion louder than the lowly droning tv from his and Henry's late night binging.

"I mean, why don't we just have tube access on every level?" Miles is saying.

"Again, not my problem; I just live here. Everything else is the adults' jobs," Chapa says as they come through the door. Her, Miles, Mika, Charlotte, Jasper and Piper.

"Shh!" Ray hisses, giving them a sharp look. Sitting still as a board he whispers, "Don't wake him." he nods towards the sleeping Henry, sprawled over Ray so the older man cannot move without disturbing him. Miles, Mika, Chapa and Piper freeze and stare.

"Woah, he's actually asleep?" Piper asks.

"Shh," Ray intones again, nodding this time.

"How…?" Jasper asks, a little too loudly. Henry twitches, shifts positions and moans. Everyone else freezes at once, staring until Henry's settled again. The near perfect synchronicity of their relieved sighs momentarily has them concerned again, but Henry doesn't stir.

"Will you guys get out of here?" Ray hisses at them.

"We're leaving," Chapa promises quietly. The group moves to the elevator.

"We're going to Brady's Bruch," Miles smiles.

"Bring me back a three-of-each burrito!" Ray requests, both quiet and eager.

"Kay-kay," Jasper says.

They descend the tube as quietly as they can, though still worryingly too loud. Ray tenses dramatically as Henry jumps, eyes fluttering and mumbling a sort of question. He doesn't wake but his sleep becomes fitful. Ray holds onto him, trying to keep him calm and on the couch. It's a difficult job as Henry writhes. "C'mon, Kid," Ray mutters, "I thought we were done with nightmares for the night… er, morning." Panting and perspiration prove the contrary to his hope.

All hope of Henry getting anymore good sleep is wrecked once the emergency alert blares through the mountain. It is not loud, but Henry immediately jumps to his feet, reacting instinctually. Then he crashes onto the floor, having startled Ray and being wrapped in a blanket. He shrieks in his own startled alarm and flails his hand. Out of which flies a green blade of energy.

That has an effect at least as fast as the alert and the shriek he makes this time is even more alarmed. "No, No! I didn't mean… oh god!"

"Woah, Henry!" Ray grabs him by the shoulders. "Calm down! It's okay."

"I'm gonna kill somebody," Henry stresses.

"You haven't killed anybody," Ray assures.

"I'm gonna kill somebody."

"No. You haven't killed anybody." Ray pushes him into a sitting position against the foot of the couch. "You know that. I'm okay. Dr. Pennant is alive."

"She's paralyzed!" Henry argues.

"And she doesn't blame you for it," Ray says. "And you can't change it. So, take a breath."

Henry crosses his arms tightly, fists clenched under his arms. "She can't move. I almost killed her. This stupid power…"

"Kid, please, you're only going to hurt yourself by panicking," Ray tries to calm him.

He trembles and breathes with what little control as he can muster. His side hurts from falling on it and his head feels as floaty as the night before. The brutal wake up has countered any benefit his five-ish hours of inconsistent sleep might've had.

As he starts to calm, Ray leaves him, "Don't move, Kid. I've got to get this." He answers the ringing phone.

Henry doesn't acknowledge Ray. Slumping against the couch and suppressing his nausea, with his knees curled up against his crossed arms and chest. Dark streaks cut across his mind's eye. Storm and spirits glint in every streak.

"What do you mean?" Ray asks into the phone. "Where is this? Your neighbor's house? Okay, give me an address…" he takes a long pause, like he's too surprised to speak. He glances at Henry before finally responding, quite subdued. "Okay, I'll be there soon."

He hangs up and grabs his gum-tube, kneeling beside Henry for a moment to say, "Are you gonna be alright by yourself?"

Henry gulps. "Where are you going? What's the emergency?"

"It's uh... nothing. Nothing to worry about," Ray says.

"It can't be nothing," Henry pants, sitting up. "What is it?"

"It's uh… uh… just a break in," Ray struggles to fib. "Some house… in a neighborhood… a few miles away… definitely not somewhere you know."

"Ray?" Henry presses.

"eueheh, it's totally fine. I got it. You stay here." Ray says. He stands to leave.

"Ray!" Henry follows him to his feet. "What is it? What's really going on? If it's big trouble, you can't go alone."

"It's not trouble!" Ray swears. "No one else is here anyway and you need to chill. You've barely slept. You haven't been doing so hot. You were just freaking out. You stay here; I got this."

Henry catches him before he goes down the tube. More awake and focused now as he says. "I'm not going to let you go alone into something so bad you're refusing to even tell me what it is."

"It's a break in! Just a break in," Ray swears.

Henry frowns disbelieving, "If it's just a break in, then what are you hiding?"

"Nothing!" Ray insists untruthfully.

"I'm coming with you," Henry insists.

"No!"

"Yes!"

"Henry!"

"Where are we going?" Henry asks, letting the tube close around them. He pops his own gumball.

Ray sighs, "Kid, really, you shouldn't come."

"Ray, seriously. Tell me what's going on," Henry retorts after transforming.

Ray sighs and concedes. "It's your house."

The Harts' house looks sad, at least to Henry. Little on the outside gives hint to the abandoned nature of it. Henry is standing at the edge of the front yard, Captain Man stopped a few feet ahead of him, turned around looking at him in question. "I haven't been here since my parents died," Henry mutters as explanation.

"You don't have to come in," Ray says. "I told you to stay at the Man's Nest."

"It's my house," Henry argues.

"That doesn't mean you have to be the one to save it from a break in," Ray says. "I can handle a break in. It's probably just some lowlife who took notice that nobody is living here."

"I'm not leaving," Henry takes a deep breath and walks across the yard.

The front door is open, the lock damaged, and the front room beyond has been trashed. The couch is overturned and ripped apart, the bookshelf laying across the other damaged furniture with all the books and décor scattered on the floor. Worst of all the culprit is sitting on the counter, glaring expectantly at the door and unsurprised to see the heroes. "'Bout time you showed up," Drex says.

They both freeze. Captain Man raises his fists, taking fighting stance and saying, "Drex!?" Henry just stops; not even blinking, nor breathing as he locks eyes with the villain. Drex gives him a murderous look.

"Surprised to see me?" Drex asks, dropping from the countertop to face them.

Henry does his best to respond with a clear voice, "Not really."

"We already knew you came back to life," Captain Man seconds.

Drex glowers at him. "Unfortunately, I wasn't the only one."

"You took the words right outta my mouth," Captain Man grumbles. Then he attacks with a fast punch to Drex's face.

Drex doesn't even reel for a second, unhurt by the punch he returns with his own. The two indestructible men beat futilely on each other, trading punches that leave no damage. Spitting insults and taunts at each other. "Give it up. You got no chance old man!"

"I am not old! You jerk!"

"You're wrinkles say otherwise."

"Ah! How dare you! I'm gonna end you."

"You're not going to beat me this time. I know all your strengths; and your weaknesses." Drex pulls a can from his pocket.

"I don't have any weaknesses. I'm indestructible, and incredibly handsome," Ray says.

Drex sneers almost amused. "I'm indestructible too, and I've spent years experimenting with what can hurt me, so I know what can hurt you. I can't break your bones or make you bleed, but you still need to breathe. You might be able to survive underwater or in space without proper air for a while, but there are some chemical mixes that can knock you out, or choke you out." Ray looks confused for a moment but as soon as Drex has finished his spiel, he sprays his little can of gas into Ray's face and Ray starts coughing immediately.

Henry's vision fuzzes and reddens. His breath returns in rapid fashion with his heart beat as Ray stumbles back, trying to escape the spray. His body again responding, no longer frozen in fear, Henry launches between the two to attack Drex. "No!" he knocks the gas can away but his punch has no more lasting impact than Ray's.

Drex laughs with true delight as he systematically disables Henry as well. A vicious kick to his bad knee and a punch directly to the deep scar in his abdomen to has Henry crumpling. He falls right into Drex's claw, which tightens around his throat. "I know your weaknesses too, Henry," Drex mocks.

Henry scratches uselessly at the clawed hand and struggles to breathe. Flashbacks of the last time Drex had him in this position begin to press at him and struggles even more. Which makes him feel very stupid and helpless. He fights with himself, telling himself 'Don't panic again! I can't panic again! Oh god, I'm panicking again! Stop it! Don't panic!' somehow, those panicky thoughts don't help him to not panic.

The lines between reality and memory blur and the whole world goes fuzzy around the edges. Henry can't force himself to fight with the strength he should have. Drex glories in his enemies suffering. Ray coughs, wheezing on the chemical mixture Drex had hit him with. Still working through the noxious dosage, he tackles Drex to the ground. All three fall and Drex loses hold of Henry's throat. Henry curls up, mentally unsure of whether he's still being choked or not.

Ray, though weakened and coughing, wails on Drex, swearing. "I'll kill you for what you did to him!"

His attacks don't hurt Drex and Drex meets them with one of his own. They bat at each other working themselves across the floor and eventually both to their knees. "You think I went too far? I was gonna kill him! In the most painful way. And next time I'm gonna make it worse."

Ray yells and punches him in the face furiously. Drex through a punch of his own; his fist catches in Ray's shoulder. Ray recoils with a pained cry, clutching at the healing wound. Drex stops, staring perplexed. "What was that?" he asks. Ray remains down, clutching the shoulder for more than two seconds. Drex's smirk grows. "What's wrong with your shoulder, Ray? Do you have a weak spot now?"

"It's not a weak spot!" Ray fires back. He resumes fighting position as the pain fades. "I'm as indestructible as ever."

"Hmm, I don't think so," Drex muses and attacks again, aiming for the same shoulder. Now on the defensive, Ray loses ground; Drex pushes him back to the ground. They twist around each other, but Drex has the upper hand and manages to dig his claws into Ray's shoulder. Ray yells in pain once more. Drex rips the shoulder of his suit to pieces, revealing the wound, filled and overlain by the seal of the biomorphingel; a small trickle of blood leaks around the substance. Drex grins delighted and perplexed. His claws drag over the wound, peeling back the gel and releasing more blood. Ray grunts, suppressing the more dramatic exclamations he would like to give. "Who cut you? How did they break your skin?"

Henry lays a few feet away from the two in a battle with himself. He can't breathe nor decide where he is. He's dying while Drex tortures him. He's in the black hole, the cries of all the people he failed to save ripping through him with the wind as he fails more to save those not yet eaten by the grotesque, decaying soul of Blackout. He can feel the sensation of his soul being chewed on as well as the pains of Drex's chosen instruments. He's in his abandoned house, Drex is attacking and hurting Ray. He's kneeling on the ground, willing Ray's dead body to not be real. He's in the Man's Nest with Ray bleeding out on the floor.

Ray grunts, failing in his efforts to get Drex off himself. "Kid!" he calls. "A little help here?! … Kid?" With enough shoving, he finally catches sight of Henry. "Kid?"

Henry doesn't respond. Drex's attention is pulled his way too by Ray's words. "What's wrong with him?"

"Nothing!" Ray defends, even as Henry hyperventilates twelve feet away. With a new determination, he forces himself and Drex to roll over. Drex claws out much of the biomorphingel and Ray gets out of his hold. He rushes to Henry's side. "Kid? Henry? You okay?"

"Ray!" Henry chokes and latches onto him.

"What's going on? What's wrong?" Ray asks. Henry's fists clench in Ray's vest, pressing against his bloody shoulder. Ray wipes at the blood, trying to assure the Kid: "I'm okay. I'm not bleeding. I think it was just a pocket left in that gel stuff."

"I-I… Ray!" Henry can't say more. Tensing in every muscle, his forcefield bursts into being around them.

"Woah! Henry!?" Ray jumps, griping the kid in sudden surprise. "What are you doing?"

"What is wrong with him?" Drex chortles from the other side of the barrier.

Ray gives him a hate-filled look. "Get outta here!"

Drex laughs. "Ah no. I'm loving this. If he's suffering, then I'm living for it. and I'm gonna do everything I can to make It worse."

"You're not gonna touch him!" Ray growls.

"That Shadow Man killed me to save him! I was dead for months!" Drex fumes and strikes the forcefield. He rebounds with glowing green and black sparks. "Gah!" he complains, shaking his mutated limb. The skin over his knuckles is torn and bleeding. "What the…?" He wonders. "How…?"

Ray glares murderously at him. He returns Henry's firm grip with his own. Looking back to the Kid he asks calmly, "Kid, what's going on?"

Henry shakes his head, tense in every muscle. The sight of Ray's blood and Drex's taunting words are grounding, not in a helpful way. Henry knows where he is now, but that doesn't mean the other places leave him alone. The memories are only in his head, and that's more terrible than them being reality. Because they are real, they all happened; and now they're all happening at once, on top of each other, on repeat. He can't escape them. His vision dances with spots of dark and light. His chest hurts, his throat is a solid block. "Stop!" he squeaks. "No!"

"Henry?" Ray worries. "What's going on, bro?"

Henry curls over himself, bowing lower until his head meets Ray's torso. Ray hugs him, his own fear mounting. "Kid, you're not breathing."

Henry shakes and coughs only slightly in response. Darkness swirls through his mind, body and soul. His forcefield flickers strangely. Drex backs away from it, confusion and fear now entering his expression. Ray glances up only briefly at the changes, before returning to his coaxing of Henry to breathe. He coaches him through each strangled inhale and coughing exhale.

Drex escapes out the backdoor with several wary glances back at them.

(Commercial break)

Pleasant and teasing chatter fills the crowded tube pad as Piper, Charlotte, Jasper, Mika, Miles and Chapa return from their brunch. They step out, noting Ray and Henry absence. "Ray, we brought your burrito!" Miles calls.

"Did you bring me one?" Bose asks, appearing from behind the couch, startling some of them.

"No, sorry, we didn't know you were gonna be here," Mika answers.

"Can I have Ray's then? Since he's not here?" Bose asks.

"Sure," Miles passes him the takeout. "Where did Ray go?"

"Ray won't like that," Mika warns.

Bose shrugs, unwrapping the burrito. "No one was here when I got here. I looked around but, there's no minds around to read except Blue's."

"I wonder where Ray and Henry went," Charlotte puzzles.

"You can read Blue's mind?" Chapa asks Bose.

"Kinda," he says around a mouthful of food. "It's not the same as a human's mind, but I can usually understand what he wants. If he's hungry or scared or trying to figure something out."

"Cool," Jasper says.

"That's weird," Chapa judges.

"It sorta makes sense though," Mika considers. "A monkey's brain is pretty similar to a human's. So, Bose can read their minds, but the interpretation is a little different."

"Exactly," Bose nods. "This is a really good burrito."

"Ray's gonna be so mad you ate it," Piper laughs.

"Nah, he and Henry probably went to get their own food," Miles says.

"No. I think we missed an emergency alert," Charlotte says. Her arm computer open, her looking through some data.

"I never heard anything from our tins," Mika says.

"I never got a message either, but the Man's Nest-work record says there was a call while we were gone," Charlotte says. "A B&E report."

"That must be where Ray and Henry went," Jasper surmises. "They handled it."

"With a simple B&E, they didn't need help. They probably be back soon," Piper concurs.

"Mm, the report came ninety-seven minutes ago. That's a long time for a simple B&E," Charlotte doubts.

"So, they got some food on their way home," Chapa poses.

"Yeah, don't worry. They're Captain Man and Danger; they're probably fine," Miles says. "I'm sure they'll be back any minute."

The tube alert goes off just then. "Ooh, that was perfectly timed." Jasper admires.

"See?" Miles says. "They're back. No need to worry."

The costumed duo indeed rise up in the tube. Though the not worrying part, Charlotte holds off on. They don't look good. Ray's suit is torn open over his shoulder and the area stained with blood. Fortunately, he seems to not be actively bleeding, but nonetheless. Henry, while clearly less injured, looks worse; he is pale and disheveled, his eyes red and haunted. He looks like he's about to fall over, and the way Ray treats him as they enter the room only encourages that theory.

"Woah! What happened?" Piper demands, stepping to Henry's side, ready to catch him.

"What was the emergency? The call said a simple B&E," Charlotte questions.

"Not simple," Ray scowls, "Drex."

"What?" seven voices ask as one, they over top of each other repeating questions in a way that they will never be able to get answers to. Only a few are understandable in the cacophony. "Drex?" "He is alive then?" "What did he want?" "Whose house was he breaking into? And why?" "Did you stop him?" "Did Drex do something to Henry?" "Where is he now?"

"Help me get Henry to the couch," Ray orders.

"I don't need help," Henry protests, but there is little verve in his tone and the shake in his legs counters his words. "I'm f…"

"I am done believing a single word about you being 'fine' after whatever just happened," Ray cuts him off.

"What just happened?" Mika asks.

"Drex broke into my house," Henry says.

"What?!" Piper shrieks.

"He hurt you?" Jasper worries.

"No, I'm fine," Henry says.

"What did I just say about that, Kid?" Ray frowns. "You are definitely not 'fine'."

"Then what happened?" Mika asks. "What happened to Henry? What happened to your shoulder? What happened with Drex?"

"Drex pulled that gel stuff outta my shoulder," Ray dismisses.

"You need to get it patched again," Henry worries. "You could bleed out."

"I told you, it's all old blood. I'm okay; I'm not going to bleed out," Ray assures.

Charlotte gets in close to look at the wound. She scans it with her cybernetic eye and says, "Yeah, he's okay. The wound is much better, the artery has mended, he's only bleeding from a few capillaries. He'll be alright, Drex couldn't make it worse."

"Okay, Ray's good," Piper says. "But what about Henry? What'd Drex do to him?"

"I don't even know," Ray sighs. "Henry freaked out a little when we found Drex. Like he was when we were in Mayor Blithe's office and learned Drex had come back to life. But he was okay enough to attack him. Then Drex was choking him and I had to pull him off. Then, I don't know, Henry just didn't get back up. He was spazzing out, not breathing. I don't know if he was having a seizure or an asthma attack or what; I couldn't get through to him. He put up his forcefield around us and Drex got away. I couldn't follow or stop him and Henry wasn't responding when I tried to talk to him."

"He had another panic attack," Bose concludes.

"I don't panic," Henry protests, breathing hard.

"Panic?" Ray also questions. "No, he was a little freaked out at first, but what happened after wasn't like that. Henry isn't like that; he's so hard to scare. He couldn't have panicked." Ray looks to him for confirmation. "Right, Kid?"

Henry doesn't make eye contact. His insistence of "I don't panic" is not convincing.

"This isn't like spooky story scaring him," Charlotte corrects. "And panic might not be the right word. I don't know for sure, I'm no psychologist. But he's had a lot of intense stress and fear lately."

"I don't need a psychologist," Henry says.

Piper rolls her eyes so hard at him. "You really, really do though."

"A lot of us do, probably all of us. Dr. Bellum said so too," Mika says. "Maybe we should take her advice and look into it."

"No, I don't need therapy." Henry stands shakily. "I just need some time; and we need to find Drex. He's alive, he's going to strike again and we need to stop him. That's what is important, not me." He moves to the computer.

"You barely got one punch in against Drex earlier before you freaked out. You can't fight him." Ray folds his arms, giving Henry a disapproving frown.

"Drex cares more about us than hurting anyone else. When he attacks, it'll be directed at us, so don't worry so much about finding him," Chapa says.

"He'll find us," Miles nods.

"Sorry, but I'm not comfortable waiting around for him to come up with a new plan to attack m-us." Henry stutters as he changes the last word, the air catching in his throat. They are all silent for a moment. "We need to find him." Henry says quietly.

"We will," Ray says. "But you need to stay out of it."

"Ray," Henry warns, "you don't get to tell me…"

"I know. You're a grown up," Ray patronizes. "But if you can't keep it together around Drex, you shouldn't be involved. You having a panic attack or whatever you want to call it, was scary. I didn't like it and I don't want to see it again. As your best friend, as your family, however you want to define it, I'm telling you: you need to stay away from Drex."

"I'm not just gonna sit it out," Henry complains. "I'm not gonna run away and let him scare me."

"Too late," Piper snorts. "He already does."

"Seriously Henry, let us handle it," Mika says. "If you try to fight him and lose it again, someone could get hurt."

"There are ten more of us on this team that can deal with Drex. You don't have to," Chapa says.

"You don't have to be the hero every time," Jasper says. "It's okay to have a weak spot."

"I'm not weak," Henry argues.

"You're hurt," Charlotte amends. "You're afraid. It's not about you being weak, you just need some help. You'll be okay."

"Drop it, please, just drop it," He snips. "All of you. I don't need you all pestering me."

"We're trying to help," Mika says.

"You need help," Piper insists, getting in her brother's face. "You're not okay. You don't just get to change the subject because you don't like talking about your problems."

"I'm fine. Butt out, Piper," He grumbles.

She matches his glare. "No. You need help. And as stupid as you are, you're the only brother I've got! I'm not going to let you keep being a crumbled mess just because you refuse to do anything for yourself. I'm going to do everything I can to help you. If I have to force you," She threatens.

He glares at her, his fists clench hard enough to activate his forcefield; for a short moment, just long enough to bump those closest to him back a bit. He deactivates it, flinching and apologizing. With shaky breath and hands, he turns away and leaves the room.

Henry finds himself a place to be alone for a while, sitting on the edge of the mountain, his back to the building. Here he's hidden from easy view of anyone but the occasional bird flying past. For some unmeasured amount of time, he lets himself break down. His memories, the storm and ghosts, his overwhelming fear and pain wash over and around him.

The quiet cliff side is cut over by a loud crackly blowing sound. The thunk of two metal boots hits the stone beside him and Dawson asks, "Sir? What's wrong?"

Henry composes himself; at least as much as he can. "Hey, Lil' D. Where did you come from?"

"Neighborville," he points straight out towards where the small town lies several miles away. "I was flying in like I always do. Why are you sitting out here? What's going on? What's... what's wrong?" he asks shyly and with great concern.

"A lot," Henry answers simply. "Nothing you need to worry about."

Dawson carefully sits down beside Henry on the narrow ledge. "Sir?"

"You don't have to call me Sir all the time, buddy," Henry says. "You're my sidekick, not my servant."

Dawson shifts awkwardly, "I know, it's just… ingrained. I'm sorry."

"You don't have to apologize for it either," Henry smirks.

"I'm sorry. I mean…" Dawson cringes with a sigh.

Henry laughs, "Don't worry about it, kid."

"It's just an old bad habit," Dawson explains. "I keep trying to break it, but I can't seem to."

"Good manners are not a bad thing," Henry says, putting his arm around his embarrassed sidekick. "Most people could do with a whole lot more. You don't have to stop; you can keep calling Sir if you want to. But you also don't have to be formal. We're friends, you can call me Henry."

"I'll try," Dawson tries to smile.

Henry nods and squeezes the kid in a friendly way. He leans back against the building.

"Henry?" Dawson says. Henry looks at him. "Why are you sitting on this ledge?"

Henry sighs and breaks their eye contact but otherwise doesn't move. He takes a long breath before answering. "I was looking for a place to get away from everything. The Man's Nest has become quite crowded lately. What with everyone except you and Bose living here."

"This seems like an extreme level to go to for some privacy," Dawson notes.

"I had an extreme reason," Henry mutters. Dawson frowns, anxious. "It's nothing, Lil' D. Don't worry about it." Henry is quick to offer reassurance.

Dawson avoids eye contact now as he admits, "I do worry though, sir… I mean, Henry."

Henry sighs. He pulls his hand away from Dawson's shoulder to run it over his head. "Dawson…"

"I'm sorry, sir," Dawson interjects quickly. "I know you don't want me to. You don't want anyone to worry; you're tired of everybody worrying about you. And I know you're way better; you can go out, fight bad guys again. Still, I worry about you; maybe more than I should. You're not totally better and stuff keeps happening. Like ghosts and you accidentally hurting people with your new powers and I just… it makes me worry that you're not really okay." Dawson rambles, fidgeting stressfully.

"Lil' D, really I'm…" Henry tries to convince.

"You're the only family I have, sir," Dawson cuts in. He ducks his face away quickly. Henry doesn't respond, mouth still agape on his recent lie. Dawson grits himself and goes on. "Henry, you are the closest thing to family I've ever had."

"D-Dawson, I…" Henry stammers.

Dawson glances at him only briefly out of his periphery. Taking a deep breath, he explains, "My mother died giving birth to me. And nobody knows who she was or where she came from. I grew up in the home, as pretty much the only lifer there. So, I had no understanding what family was for the longest time. I made some friends, sure; and the caretakers kept me fed and clothed, but most don't stick around for more than maybe a few years. Most the kids there cycle through every once in a while. The rest lost their families. Kind of like me but, they all have some memories. I'm just about the longest term permanent resident and the clueless orphan who never knew what he was missing. I had no real bonds."

"Kid," Henry pities.

Dawson turns a little to meet his eyes for a moment. "Coming to SW.A.G., training and fighting with you and Bose and Mika and Miles and Chapa, at least when she's not trying to fry me, is the happiest I've ever been. The most connected I've ever been. You're all the best friends I've ever had."

Henry nods, "So the closest thing you've had to family."

Dawson nods. "Yeah. And I don't know much about family, but I know it comes with worry. I know family can cause more hurt than pretty much anything else. I've seen that. I've felt it. So many kids at the home come from such ruff situations: bad families or bad tragedies."

He drops his gaze to the ground, some hundred or so feet below at the bottom of the cliff. Henry frowns and wonders, "You felt it? Do you mean because you never got to know your mom or…?"

He trails off. Dawson waits a thoughtful moment. "I've had curiosities about my mom, but I've never felt a lot of extreme emotion about her. They say she didn't even live long enough to see me. How can I be attached to someone I never knew?"

Henry considers that answer before speaking again. "Then, you felt it with us here? Because you consider us family?"

Dawson takes a moment before responding. "I didn't even know I saw you that way; I didn't understand. Not until you walked into that black hole and we thought you were dead." Dawson turns away, but Henry doesn't need to see his face; his tone indicates the boy is close to tears. "It was the scariest day of my life, or three days, before your coma stabilized; and even then."

"Lil' D," Henry puts his arm back over Dawson's shoulders. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry things had to get that bad for you to feel like you have a family. We… at least I consider you family too, as much as all the rest of the team. You're like a little brother or something."

"A brother?" Dawson says. He wipes at his tears. "I don't know what defines and differentiates that specific relationship from others. I know I'm more attached to you than I've ever been to anyone. I feel like I've got something good enough to make me scared when something bad happens. And… and not just scared that I'll lose it, or that you won't be able to finish training me to be a superhero; but scared for you and for you being hurt or feeling scared too. I worry about you not being okay; more than I should, I think. It makes me feel pathetic and ridiculous."

"Nah, it's normal," Henry is quick to counter.

"Is it?" Dawson asks incredulously. "Feeling like this is normal?"

"It's what you have to deal with in a family: worrying about your people. I worry a lot: especially lately. And everybody worries about me. Which is justified. Everyone knows I'm a bit messed up." Henry mutters ruefully.

"Yeah, well, there's been a lot of that going around," Dawson says. "We all probably need some therapy."

Henry chuckles, though there is little humor in it. "Yeah. No 'probably' about it."

They sit in silence for a moment. "Are you gonna okay, Henry?" Dawson asks. "How much should I really worry about you?"

Henry sighs deeply. "Plenty, Lil' D. I'm not doing so well lately."

Another moment passes. "Did something happen this morning?" Dawson dares to ask. "Something that might make you want to hide out here, far away from everybody?"

Henry slumps like a deflating balloon. He wipes at the stressed tears in the corners of his eyes. "Yeah," he answers. "It was a rough morning. I'm really not feelin' so good right now."

"Can I help?" Dawson asks quietly.

Henry has to take a moment. With a tiny hint of a smile he says, "That is what good sidekicks do. It's also what good brothers do." Dawson finally lifts his head to meet Henry's eyes again. Tears and fear and hope and all.

(Commercial break)

Ray pushes Henry by the shoulders away from the door he'd been about to go through. "You're doing the right thing. This is good. Don't chicken out now." He says, leading Henry back through the waiting room to a chair.

"Ray," Henry's voice shakes. "I can't do this.

"Yes, you can," Ray soothes.

"I can't talk to you about this stuff, you expect me to tell a stranger," Henry says. He refuses to sit down in the chair Ray has guided him to.

"Your hot doctor Bellum approved, and so did President Kickbutt. This guy is supposed to be one of the best and he's super. We can trust him."

"But I can't… I can't…" Henry gestures wildly, trying to get his point across though he can't summon the right words.

Dawson appears at his side, grabs his wrist and says, "Henry, it's gonna be okay. I've done this a couple times, it's nothing to worry about. We're here for you." Ray frowns at the boy but doesn't contradict him.

"Can't we just go home?" Henry begs.

"No," both Dawson and Ray say.

"You can do this, Kid," Ray continues.

"You need to do this. Please. I promise, it'll be okay," Dawson finishes.

Henry sits in nervous anticipation until his name is called. Ray and Dawson have to pull him out of his chair. He sucks it up and follows the man out of the waiting room into a small, cozy office. "Feel free to have a seat. Make yourself comfortable," the man says. Henry does sit, though he's not quite comfortable.

The man picks up a notebook and takes a seat across from Henry. He gives a quiet moment, considering Henry and giving him a small smile before speaking. "Hello, I am Dr. Kokoro. I'm going to be your therapist. Would you prefer I call you Mr. Hart or Henry or something else?"

"Uh… Henry," Henry answers. His heart is already beating more quickly than normal and his hands shake even as he tightens them into fists trying to steel himself.

"Alright Henry," Dr. Kokoro nods. "So, what do you want to talk about today?"

"Uh…" Henry hesitates. He doesn't want to talk about anything. He'd rather be anywhere but here. But he knew he needed to be, so the real question was where to start. How does he go about explaining his problems? What exactly is his problem? Should he start by explaining his panic while trying to fight Drex? Should he start by explaining his nightmares and the ghosts? Hadn't his problems begun before either of those things happened? He'd had that one other panic attack a month before the black hole and his coma and the ghosts became a thing. Maybe he should start there. He should also talk about the black hole; that had certainly messed him up a bit. But that had stemmed from his whole war against Shadow Man. Which had started with Ray's death. Or had it started in Dystopia the first time he'd met Blackout? But that was all so long ago and he hadn't had his freaking out issues then, so they couldn't be affecting him now. Right? This was something new. But where did it begin? Where should he begin to try to explain it?

"Don't overthink it," Dr. Kokoro advises. "Just tell me about yourself."

Henry nods but it's like he's suddenly drawing a blank on his whole life. The only things he can remember are the things he doesn't want to think about, the memories he tries to avoid. "I… um…" He's getting winded again. The frustratingly familiar tightness in his throat is back. He stands, feeling antsy. Standing isn't any more helpful than sitting had been. "Nope," he mutters. "Nope. I don't… I don't think I can do this." He makes for the door.

"Henry, please," Dr. Kokoro says. "Wait. I understand this is uncomfortable. I know some things are difficult to talk about; and I will not attempt to force you to stay or tell me anything you don't want to."

Henry pauses at the door. Dr. Kokoro is right, no one had forced Henry to come.

"But you chose to come here; despite how difficult it is, I think part of you does want to be here. So please, at least give it a real try." The therapist requests, again not incorrect.

He would be disappointed in himself later if he quit after only two minutes. Not to mention how disappointed his friends would be if he walked out now.

"We don't need to get into the nitty gritty today. We've only just met, I do not expect you to spill all your guts in the first session," Dr. Kokoro promises. "Please, let's have a little conversation and see if there is anything I can do to help you."

Henry takes a shaky, shallow breath. It's the best he can do. His hand runs automatically over his head. "I-I-I don't know what's wrong." He says.

"That's okay," Dr. Kokoro assures. "If it were easy to explain, it would be easy to solve. That's why you're here. I don't need you to tell me what's wrong. I need you to tell me what you're feeling and I need to get to know who you are so I can help you be who you want to be. So, I want you to tell me about yourself, okay? Start easy, something like your favorite food, your favorite place, your favorite people."

"Uh… p-pizza. The Mancave. My friends and family," Henry rattles off.

"Tell me about them," Dr. Kokoro invites. "What toppings do you like? The Mancave is your headquarters, right? You operate from there? You have a whole team right? Your friends? You have sidekicks?"

Henry nods and paces. "I-I like pepperoni. The Mancave was destroyed; it's in ruins. We operate out of the Man's Nest now. Me, Captain Man, Lil' Dynomite, Danger Force: which is Volt, Brainstorm, Shoutout and AWOL, my friends Haywire and Siesta Niño help out when they're in town, And my little sister Piper, er Rowling Thunder. Lil' Dynomite and Danger Force are my sidekicks, well mostly. Lil' D is."

The therapist nods, "Go on. Tell me anything you want to. Whatever you're comfortable with. Whatever you need to make yourself comfortable, I'm here to help."

The next hour is extremely long, probably not the longest Henry's experienced, but he'll need some hind sight to be sure of that. He's also not sure what good the time is doing. No matter how hard he tries he's not doing well at talking about all those things he should probably be talking about. He skirts around those topics. He paces the room, answers basic questions as best he can, nearly freaks out again a couple times.

Dr. Kokoro stays patient throughout. He allows Henry to dodge questions, gives him time to come up with answers, and follows any track of conversation for most of the long hour. Finally, he says, "Our time is nearly up today Henry. Thank you for everything you've shared with me. It has been illuminating. I can't say I fully understand you or your situation, but I think this has been a good start."

Henry isn't convinced and it comes through in his huff of air. "I haven't started to tell you anything. This has been an easy and meaningless Q&A."

"It didn't seem to be easy for you," Dr. Kokoro comments. "And I found it far from meaningless."

Henry shakes his head and says, "But I didn't even tell you about… about…" he can't say anything else.

"You didn't tell me about whatever it is you clearly don't like talking about. But that's okay, we've only just met. It makes sense your not ready to dump your heaviest baggage on a complete stranger. Still, I have learned some things I think are important about you." Dr. Kokoro begins to expound for him as Henry looks confused. "You care a lot about your friends; you're highly protective of them; you consider them family. Your actual family is painful for you to talk about, you've avoided most mentions of anyone but your sister. You're restless, especially when you get agitated. You also don't breathe well when your stress peaks. Your favorite place no longer exists and hasn't for the duration of your adult life. You take your responsibilities very seriously, and you take responsibility for things that are perhaps not yours to carry. I suspect that means you often carry a lot of guilt around, whether or not you truly deserve to.

"From all this I surmise that your recent experiences, I'd say from the past few years, have been extremely trying. More trying than young adult hood inherently is. I can't claim to know what these things are that you don't want to talk about, but I would wager that they have to do with significant events. You're not dealing with ambiguous emotions unattached to discernable reality. You're deeply troubled by specific memories." Henry shakes, his mouth hanging open but wordless. "Will you tell me what you've been doing to cope? How do you deal with your stress?"

"I-I-I…" Henry stutters. He's crying a little. Dr. Kokoro encourages him to take a moment, coaches him to retake control, then asks him again. Henry answers as best he can while still coughing. "I- I don't know how to deal with it. Nothing works. I can't sleep but even awake I can't… they don't… I-it's always there. I try to put it aside but nothing… training, fighting, working… nothing helps."

"You have nightmares? Flashbacks?" Dr. Kokoro confirms.

"Can't you just fix me?" Henry grumbles. "You're a super and a therapist, don't you have some power to just make all the stupid stuff in my head stop?"

"No. I'm sorry. My superpower is to convert air into pseudo-physical objects. My ability and license in psychology are ordinary," Dr. Kokoro says. "I want to help. I will do everything I can, but removing trauma is an ability no one has. It's going to take work to get through it, most of which must come from you. I will guide you as best I can and give you support and advise as I'm able. I'm sure your friends and sister will gladly do the same. I'm going to help you understand what it is you're going through and find ways to cope and heal. You must find the strength to do so. Only you can win these battles of your mind."

"If I could stop them, I would," Henry complains roughly. "I don't know how. I can't figure it out. It's like I'm still in that black hole and it's keeps squeezing tighter and I can't escape."

"Black hole?" Dr. Kokoro thinks. "I remember reading about that. It happened in Swellview recently. Something to do with a superpowered serial killer."

"I can still feel him trying to eat my soul: grinding, tearing and twisting me up in his darkness," Henry feels sick as he makes that confession. He's leaning, head against the door and tightly curled into himself.

Dr. Kokoro touches Henry's hunched shoulder. Henry jumps, not having realized the doctor had approached. "I'm sorry," he's quick to apologize. "I wish I could offer swift healing. I don't have any sure answers today, but I have two suggestions on what I believe may help you. if your willing to take my advice."

Henry shakes and rubs his head, massaging the tender spot repeatedly. After a moment he is able to nod. "Anything, if it'll help," he whispers.

"I want you to take a break from fighting crime. Not what you want to hear, I'm sure, but exposing yourself to more trauma right now isn't advisable. Find other things to focus your attention on. Second, I think you would do well to take up a martial art."

"What?" Henry doesn't understand.

"They might seem a bit contradictory," Dr. Kokoro nods. "I want you to study a martial art, to actually study one or more, because they are physical; which is an outlet that you are accustomed to and will still need to fill. And because they teach meditation and breathing techniques. I think it will provide you much in body, mind and soul." Henry doesn't answer. "I want you to try it, and I want you to come back and talk to me again in a few days. I want you to come back as often as you need to."

Henry gulps and nods. "Okay."

Next Episode: S2E5: Babe's Boys